One of my favorite movies of the years so far was “McFarland USA.” It has everything a family movie should have: lessons to be learned, a lot of heart and shows the importance of family and community.
McFarland USA is based on the 1987 true story of novice runners from the economically challenged town of McFarland, California, as they give their all to build a cross-country team under the direction of Coach Jim White (Kevin Costner). White is a newcomer to the predominantly Latino high school and its tight-knit community. White and his team ultimately bond to build not only a championship cross-country team but an enduring legacy that has become part of the very fabric of the town. Because of the great acting and excellent direction by Niki Caro, I was immediately engrossed in the movie, its characters and its powerful story of life in Central California. The race scenes literally had me on the edge of my seat. You aren’t just rooting for these kids to win at cross-country, you’ll be rooting for them to win in life.
McFarland USA is more than a movie about cross-country–it takes audiences into the lives of struggling Latino families. After I attended a screening, I insisted that my children see it–especially my oldest son who is 9. We live in the LA area, and while I feel that my kids are exposed to a bit more than I was growing up in Orange County, I knew that this movie would be an eye opener for him. They don’t know much about Latino culture and have never been part of a large family–or even super tight-knit community like that in McFarland. They have also never truly understood what it means to struggle for money. We try to explain it to the boys, but I fear we fall short in providing them with the insight on how fortunate they are and how hard many people have to work to be able to enjoy life’s necessities. The idea that my kids can see what life is like in a town like a McFarland–a place very different from where we live–is just as important as any lesson they learn in school from a book.
It’s easy for all of us to take for granted where our food comes from–or not think about it at all. McFarland USA paints a very real picture of life for California farm workers–including their youngest workers who often rise at 4a.m. to pick crops before heading to school and head back to the fields after school. My boys were floored–absolutely floored–to find out that children their very own age are allowed to pick (and often do pick) the foods on our kitchen table. My kids complain when I ask them to put away their laundry. I’ve been telling them for a long time that they have no idea how easy their lives are and this movie really showed them another side of American life they didn’t know existed.
You can add this movie to your home movie collection NOW on Blu-ray Combo Pack (BD + Digital HD), Disney Movies Anywhere, DVD, Digital HD/SD and On-Demand. If you haven’t watched it with your kids, I recommend doing so and then scheduling some time to talk about the lessons taught by the film and what they mean to your family.
